Each year in May, Ogose hold a memorial service and fireworks at the World Unknown Soldiers Tomb [sic] on Mt. Taikan. The festival is always held on the second Saturday of May. However, it wasn’t on in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. They had a small service inRead More →
Information for the 2023 “Sake Jump” event, a type of sake festival, at the Keyaki Hiroba in Saitama Shintoshin. (Sake as in the Japanese drink!) Sake Festival Sake Jump Saitama The event is actually called “Dawn of Youth” 若手の夜明け in Japanese, but they gave it the name “Sake Jump” inRead More →
Yamada Spring Festival is held annually in March in the Chichibu area of Saitama Prefecture. It is on in early March, usually on the second Sunday of the month. In 2023, that will be Sunday March 12th. They say the festival marks the coming of Spring. This will be theRead More →
The beautiful, lively spring festival, filled with traditional Japanese performances, is scheduled for the first time in four years. Moreover, it is in the scenic Ogano town. Unlike many other city and towns that have their main festival in the summer, Ogano’s principal festival is this spring one. It isRead More →
The Kasukabe Big Kite Festival is scheduled in 2023, for the first time in four years. The kite was actually flown last year, but only on one day and without spectators or the festival. Kasukabe Big Kite Festival The Kasukabe Big Kite Festival is held annually on May 3rd andRead More →
NAKED Night Walk and Night Illumination Train, Chichibu, Winter 2023. Renowned for their digital art, Naked Inc needs little introduction for those in Japan. In the winter of 2023, they are creating, as they say, “a new winter festival” in Chichibu, the festival district of Saitama Prefecture. Chichibu is madeRead More →
Information for, and an account of, visiting Japan’s largest Dolls festival display at the Konosu Surprising Dolls Festival or Konosu Bikkuri Hina Matsuri in Japanese. 鴻巣びっくりひな祭り。 Japan’s largest dolls festival pyramid display “Konosu Doll Pyramid” in Konosu, Saitama Prefecture, is just a 50 minute train ride from Ueno station inRead More →
The Japanese New Year tradition of Hatsumode… Hatsumode is the first visit of the year to a shrine or a temple, an important and much practiced tradition in the New Year in Japan. There are many shrines and also temples all around Saitama where you can practise Hatsumode. It doesn’tRead More →
Ten places for Dezome Shiki, a New Year Firefighter festival of sorts, in Saitama Prefecture. For the first time in three years, all of the New Year Firefighter festivals around Saitama Prefecture are scheduled for January 2023. In 2022, only three of the places on this list of ten, hadRead More →
The Chichibu Night Festival is held on the 2nd and 3rd of December annually. On account of the pandemic, the festival was very basic in 2020 and 2021. They only carried out some of the religious parts of the festival. Moreover, in 2021 it was for invited guests only. Also,Read More →